Last spring my husband and me made some signposted walks in Natural Reserves in The Netherlands. We made lots of pictures and I have painted from those references since then.
These delicate new leaves were showing themselves during our walk at the 'Oude Buisse Heide' and I could not resist taking a picture. The tree is a Copper Beech (Fagus sylvatica 'Atropunicea) and that is one of my favourites because of its beautiful colours and majestic shape.
I had to 'gather courage' before I started to paint them, but now I have made the watercolour painting I am really happy with it.
To create the depth in this scene I have used a trick from photography. The branch with the fresh leaves (my subject) is well defined, all other branches, leaves, trees, bushes etc are painted as vague shapes. The result looks a bit foggy and I like that atmosphere for this painting.
For the highlights on the branch and in the leaves I have used a Watercolour Stick on the dry painting. The structure of the paper helps me get that broken line.
More information about this watercolour painting (size, colours used, availability, etc) can be found at my website www.jannekesatelier.webs.com
The reference picture for this painting was made by my husband Peter during a walk in the dunes with colleagues - so I was not there and only saw the pictures afterwards.
The pictures stayed 'in stock' until inspiration would hit me.
I am still trying to paint according to the advise I was given during my painting vacation - atmosphere first, details only when needed - and this scene is perfect for such a painting style.
A few days ago I have made a visit to my art supply store and I bought some Winsor&Newton Watercolour paper and of course I had to try that. Only after I had opened the plastic protecting the block I found out that this is a cellulose paper so I had to adapt a bit, as I usually paint on cotton paper. (W&N also has cotton paper)
This paper is different than my usual quality but I like the differences and they are not hard to deal with.
These Dunes at the end of winter are showing only the dark branches of the bushes (that will be green in summer) and the sand in between. While working I changed the scene a bit to get a better painting and I am really happy with the result.
More information (size, materials used, availability, contact information, etc) can be found at my website www.jannekesatelier.webs.com
This year we have a very dry, very hot summer and now (halfway August) lots of trees and bushes have begun to change to their autumn colours. The colour change varies from subtle to very visible and even loss of foliage and an early shedding of fruits (acorns, chestnuts, etc.) is happening now.
Our walks in parks or nature reserves are colourful and inspiring me to make reference pictures so I can paint later.
We made a short walk in the area of the 'Broekpolder' near Vlaardingen (Netherlands) and a large part of that area is being grazed by Highland Cattle. They can be seen almost everywhere and they are not shy at all. This mother and child were in one of the lower fields, following the path that was made by some other members of the herd towards the water.
They are partly hidden by the high grasses and make a nice point of interest.
Sketching them on smooth paper is easy, I had to do that to explore the forms of the cattle as I do not often draw or paint cattle. To copy that initial sketch to my watercolour paper is a bit of a challenge as the surface of my watercolour paper is textured. In fact this took me more time and use of the eraser than the initial drawing in my sketchbook.
Once again I have tried to focus on atmosphere in my painting, so the Highland Cattle had to be recognisable but not very detailed. The field has many grasses and herbs and that gives a very colourful view. The bushes are very close to the water and have not started to change colour but the trees are further off and already changing to their autumn colours.
I am still exploring this 'new path' I have chosen for my paintings and I am looking for variation in my choice of subjects in order to find out what suits me best.
So my travelling along this 'new path' will be continued, but I do not really know where it will lead me.
More information about this watercolour painting (size, materials used, availability, etc) can be found at my website www.jannekesatelier.webs.com
Walking one of the many beautiful signposted walks in the area of the 'Kalmthoutse Heide' we found this broken stone. My husband made some reference pictures for me and I started planning a painting.
The stone is one of the border markers that line the border between Belgium and The Netherlands and our walk passed that border a few times.
This broken stone, cracked and covered with moss on most sides inspired me to change the scene from a 'normal' border landscape to something more mysterious.
Watercolour is an ideal medium to create a foggy or mysterious atmosphere and I have been experimenting with the colours in my palette, water, layering mixtures, more water, wet - in - wet and wet - on - dry techniques and this is the result.
I am happy with this painting, it was a great exercise and the result is very close to what I hoped it would be.
Unfortunately my picture does not give full credit to the real painting.
The painting has a green glaze to it and my simple photo - adjusting programme cannot show that easily.... so tilting the computer screen may help to see what I really made.
More information about this watercolour painting (size, materials used, contact information, availability, etc) can be found at my website www.jannekesatelier.webs.com
A few months ago we walked a long signposted walk in the area called 'Huis ter Heide' and near the end of that walk we spotted several white trees. This was the first and I quickly made a reference picture. Later we saw more of these dead trees, totally white, standing between the other trees and bushes, making a very special sight. These trees were at some distance of the path, so we did not get near enough to guess what kind of tree it was. This walk was before the dry and hot summer we had this year so the rhododendron bushes were in bloom and the fields had lots of flowers.
At the moment I made my reference picture I had already decided that I would use it for one of my 'white on black' paintings.
I have not only used white gouache and watercolour paint for this painting, for the tree I have been drawing with silver metallic and white (Graphitint) pencils.
The pencils are a nice addition to the gouache and watercolour, they allow me to show the details of the smaller white branches.
Painting this dead white tree and the surrounding landscape was a nice challenge for me, especially because it had been a few months ago since I had painted a 'white on black'.
More information about this painting (size, availability, contact information, etc) can be found at my website www.jannekesatelier.webs.com
The park of the Zoo usually has a lot of inspiration for me. Of course I go to the Zoo for the animals, but the park with its trees, bridges and other landscape elements also has its charms. This scene was inspired by a view in the Zoo of Planckendael (Belgium).
I was inspired by the view of the bridge, surrounded by all those trees and bushes so I took some reference pictures, not knowing when I would use them for a painting.
We were there in the summer of last year and the reference picture shows lots of greens, but today I was in a mood to paint with Earth Colours. I have added blue and violet for the shadows and the bridge.
Once again I have painted atmosphere, not all the details. All of the foliage is suggested, as are the trees in the background. Even the tree in the foreground and the bridge are not as detailed as I would have done a few weeks ago.
More information about this watercolour painting (size, materials used, contact information, availability, etc) can be found at my website www.jannekesatelier.webs.com
A walk in Natural Reserve 'De Biesbosch', close to my home is always nice. This time we saw this broken tree trunk, a left-over after a storm.
I used the pictures we made for a watercolour painting, concentrating on atmosphere, following the advice that was given to me during my painting vacation.
I have painted most of this painting in the wet-in-wet technique, layering paint to make the shadows deeper. The trees in the background are only suggested now and the field has only a few shadows to suggest different grasses.
The broken tree is the last thing I have painted, taking care to suggest (not to show) most of the details.
All of this looks easier than it is, layering dark colours is something that needs to be done with great care; a bit too much water in the brush and all previous layers will disappear.
The structures in the trees and bushes were shaped by paint and water, a result that cannot be reproduced.
It really is an exciting experience when this happens the 'right' way.
The next weeks, months, years I will practise this technique as much as possible, mostly because I do love the paintings I get in this way.
More information about this watercolour painting (materials used, size, availability, contact information, etc) can be found at my website www.jannekesatelier.webs.com
